Workshop on psychology of social media presented by Sam Gosling and Kate Niederhoffer at the International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, May 18, 2009

1. Psychology of Social
Media
Sam Gosling Kate Niederhoffer
University of Texas, Dachis Corporation
Austin

2. What can psychology tell us about production &
consumption of social media?

3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statements below. Rate the extent to which
the pair of traits applies to you, even if one characteristic applies more strongly than the other.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 Disagree
strongly
Agree strongly
I see myself as:
• _____ Extraverted, enthusiastic.
1. _____ Critical, quarrelsome.
3. _____ Dependable, self-disciplined.
5. _____ Anxious, easily upset.
7. _____ Open to new experiences, complex.
9. _____ Reserved, quiet.
11. _____ Sympathetic, warm.
13. _____ Disorganized, careless.
15. _____ Calm, emotionally stable.
16. _____ Conventional, uncreative.

4. Agenda
• How psychological info is conveyed
• How we make sense of info
• What we can learn from the information
• How psychological processes play out in
social media
• Exercises

5. Expression and Perception of Psychological Information?
Attractiveness
PUBLIC
Social Media
sticker
Bumper
Websites
Email signature
Geographic location
Language style
Appearance
Ans. Mach. message
Nationality
Office space
Profession
Car
Language content
Friends
Residence
Handshake
Sports prefs
Social life
Movie prefs
Food prefs
LOW
Injuries
Music prefs
HIGH
CONTROL
Writing
CONTROL
Sleep
Dorm rooms
Books
Wallet
Thoughts
Underwear
Journal
Dreams
Passwords
PRIVATE

6. Source: www.daytum.com

7. Factor Structure of LIFE

8. Factor Structure of LIFE

9. Factor Structure of LIFE

10. Factor Structure of LIFE

11. Factor Structure of LIFE

12. Factor Structure of LIFE

13. • All social media created and consumed by
psychological beings
• Note most of human psychology evolved long ago
& will not change, so successful social media will be
those that tap/exploit basic needs.

14. Psychological beings possess certain needs
Basic Human Needs:
Maslow (1943) Hierarchy of needs, “D-needs,” self-actualization
Fundamental Social Needs:
Get along
Get ahead
Both needs result in:
Wanting to know others
Be known by others (sometimes)

15. Personal
Websites

16. What are the mechanisms by which information about
people gets conveyed?

18. Top 10 Top 10
1. Oops I did it again—Britney Spears 1. Kind of Blue—Miles Davis
2. I’m a slave—Britney Spears 2. Giant steps—John Coltrane
3. The dance—Garth Brooks 3. Take five—Dave Brubeck
4. Crash—Dave Mathews Band 4. Goldberg Variations—Glenn Gould
5. Wide open spaces—Dixie Chicks 5. Straight no chaser—Thelonius Monk
6. Summer Lovin’—Grease Soundtrack 6. Fly—Nick Drake
7. Bye Bye Bye—N’sync 7. Ray’s Blues—Ray Charles
8. Breathe—Faith Hill 8. Maiden Voyage—Herbie Hancock
9. Survivor—Destiny’s Child 9. Texas Flood—Stevie Ray Vaughn
10. Smell the color 9—Chris Rice 10. Six Suites for Cello—Yo Yo Ma

22. Expression and Perception of Psychological Information?
Attractiveness
PUBLIC
Websites
Bumper sticker
Geographic location
Email signature
Language style
Appearance
Ans. Mach. message
Nationality
Office space
Profession
Car
Language content
Friends
Residence
Handshake
Sports prefs
Social life
Movie prefs
Food prefs
LOW
Injuries
Music prefs
HIGH
CONTROL
Writing
CONTROL
Sleep
Dorm rooms
Books
Wallet
Thoughts
Underwear
Journal
Dreams
Passwords
PRIVATE

25. • The most common, but invisible words tend to be the most revealing
• By measuring the types of words used, we can tap into how people
‘slice’ their worlds– how they relate to themselves, events and
others
• Linguistic style is closely tied to our psychological and social state
○ Emotion (depression, deception)
○ Biological states (Testosterone)
○ Personality (Neuroticism)
○ Cognitive style (complex thinking)
○ Demographics (age, sex, class)

26. Language Research
Findings Linguistic Cue
Are you informal, Pronoun use:
honest, self-oriented? I and We
Are you living in “the Past , Present, Future
now,” optimistic about tense
the future?
Are you abstract or Articles: “a” vs. “the”
concrete? Nouns vs. verbs
What’s your Positive vs. negative
emotional tone?

27. What could a group find out about itself from language?
Engineers, economists
programmers collaborating on
economic simulations of disasters
• Complexity of thought (-)
• Cohesion (-)
• Work information (-)
• Negative emotion (+)
• Funding lost
24
Tausczik, Scholand, and Pennebaker, 2009

28. What systems can be used to understand
the self and others?

29. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statements below. Rate the extent to which
the pair of traits applies to you, even if one characteristic applies more strongly than the other.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 Disagree
strongly
Agree strongly
I see myself as:
• _____ Extraverted, enthusiastic.
1. _____ Critical, quarrelsome.
3. _____ Dependable, self-disciplined.
5. _____ Anxious, easily upset.
7. _____ Open to new experiences, complex.
9. _____ Reserved, quiet.
11. _____ Sympathetic, warm.
13. _____ Disorganized, careless.
15. _____ Calm, emotionally stable.
16. _____ Conventional, uncreative.

30. Big Five personality dimensions
Openness to Experience
(intellect, imagination, curiosity, creativity)
Conscientiousness
(order, duty, deliberation, self-discipline)
Extraversion
(sociability, assertiveness, activity, positive emotions)
Agreeableness
(trust, nurturance, kindness, cooperation)
Neuroticism
(anxiety, depression, moodiness,vulnerability to stress)

31. Openness
= (8 – your score on item 10) + your score on item 5
Conscientiousness = (8 – your score on item 8) + your score on item 3
Extraversion
= (8 – your score on item 6) + your score on item 1
Agreeableness
= (8 – your score on item 2) + your score on item 7
Neuroticism
= (8 – your score on item 9) + your score on item 4

32. Big Five Domain Females Males
Openness
10.8
10.7
Conscientious
11.0
10.4
ness
Extraversion
9.1
8.5
Agreeableness
10.6
10.1
Neuroticism
6.7
5.7

33. Mean accuracy r
Trait
Facebook Website Bedroom Office Music top 10 Social behavior Short meeting
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism
Openness

34. What do you need to know to know a person?
Level 1: Traits
The “Big Five”
Level 2: Personal Concerns
Values, goals, roles

35. Life Story Exercise

36. What do you need to know to know a person?
Level 1: Traits
The “Big Five”
Level 2: Personal Concerns
Values, goals, roles
Level 3: Identity
“Personal Myth”

37. Thank You!
Kate Niederhoffer: k.niederhoffer@gmail.com
Sam Gosling: Samg@mail.utexas.edu